Peregrine Farm News Vol. 10 #18, 6/5/13

OMG the Blueberries! We saw this train coming and haven’t been able to get enough folks to push the car off the tracks fast enough. Now I will admit that the organizing of the blueberry picking crew is free form but has always worked out with enough hands. It is hard to both accurately predict when and how many berries there will be and with only a three week season, it is equally hard to get people who will organize their whole lives around a part time, mornings only job. But for years we would have a few key folks who would then bring their friends and others would show up for a day or so and it has worked.

This season we have the key people and they have tried to shake their networks but it has resulted in just a few extra pickers. Combined with one of, if not the biggest, crops we have ever had and it is now all hands on deck to try and get the berries off the plants before they hit the ground. When all of us, including Betsy, are picking berries every morning you know we are in trouble. Fortunately the weather is also not blistering hot and ripening the berries even faster. This too we will survive but the resulting lack of attention to the other chores on the farm means there will be repercussions we will have to deal with in the weeks and months to come. Oh well there will be good eating in the meantime.

Farm to Fork Picnic coming up this Sunday, still time to get your tickets as it is not quite sold out, yet. Delivered the turkeys to Nana’s last week so they could get on with making the Smoked Turkey Sausage. Tomorrow we will take them the vegetables for the Early Summer Vegetable Crostini and the Quick Fennel pickle that will top the sausage. The weather looks really good for early June and it should be a great afternoon as always.

Picture of the Week

More berries than leaves and Liz picking as fast as she can

What’s going to be at the market?

The flower department is looking more bountiful. New this week- Campanula (Canterbury Bells), in purple this week and Gloriosa Daisies (Black eyed Susans), a sign of summer. Tall and graceful Larkspur. Snapdragons. Plenty of Sunflowers. Spuria Iris, the really tall and multi-colored iris, a great long lasting flower. Fragrant pink Oriental Lilies and yellow and pink Asiatics too. Beautiful Bouquets of course.

Blueberries! If you want a lot for freezing then this is the week. Very light on lettuce mostly the crispy and sweet Summer Crisp in Red and Green, maybe some Oakleaf and Little Gem too. New plantings coming but slow to size up. Baby Chard, a hot weather substitute for spinach. New Carrots too. Nice medium sized Fennel bulbs. Cucumbers.

Plenty of Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale, is really beautiful, time for those raw Kale salads or Kale chips. Great Beets with Red, Golden and the striped Italian Chioggia this week. Spring Green Onions. Leeks are back! Cilantro and Italian Parsley. A bit of Basil, tomatoes are on the way!

As a reminder if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Hope to see you all at the market!

Alex and Betsy

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